Astronomy:2010 RF12

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Short description: Small risk–listed near-Earth asteroid


2010 RF12
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered byMount Lemmon Srvy.
Discovery siteMount Lemmon Obs.
Discovery date5 September 2010
Designations
2010 RF12
Minor planet categoryNEO · Apollo[1][3]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 2023-Feb-25 (JD 2460000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0 (MPC)[1] 2 (JPL)[3]
Observation arc11.98 years
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}1.261 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}0.86145 AU
1.0611 AU
Eccentricity0.18819
Orbital period1.093 yr (399 d)
Mean anomaly84.6°
Mean motion0° 54m 9s / day
Inclination0.88248°
Longitude of ascending node163.71°
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2022-Nov-23[3]
267.39°
Earth MOID0.00054 astronomical unit|AU (81 thousand km; 0.21 LD)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameterm[4]
6–12 meters (CNEOS)
Absolute magnitude (H)28.4[1][3]


2010 RF12 is a very small asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group, that passed between Earth and the Moon on 8 September 2010, at 21:12 UTC, approaching Earth within 79,000 kilometres (49,000 mi) above Antarctica.[5] The asteroid was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey near Tucson, Arizona on 5 September 2010 along with 2010 RX30.[1][6] Based on a short 7-day observation arc from that apparation, it was listed for 12 years on the Sentry Risk Table as the asteroid with the greatest known probability (5%) of impacting Earth.[7][note 1] 2010 RF12 was rediscovered in August 2022,[8][1] and now has a 12 year observation arc and a much better known orbit. As of the December 2022 solution which accounts for nongravitational forces,[3] there is a 1-in-10 chance of an Earth impact on 5 September 2095.[4]

Nominal Earth Approach on 6 September 2095 with a 12-year observation arc[3]
Date Impact
probability
JPL Horizons
nominal geocentric
distance (AU)
uncertainty
region
(3-sigma)
2095-09-06 00:06 ± 00:20 1:10 0.00035 astronomical unit|AU (52 thousand km)[3] ±180 thousand km[9]

Description

NASA's Near Earth Program estimates its size to be 7 meters (23 feet) in diameter with a mass of around 500 tonnes.[4] 2010 RF12 will make many more close approaches to Earth.[3] Around 6 September 2095 it will pass 52000±180000 km from Earth.[3][9] When an asteroid roughly 7-meters in diameter impacts Earth, very little danger of harm arises from the impact; rather an impressive fireball is expected (estimated in the risk table as nearly 9 KT of energy release[4]) as the rock air bursts in the upper atmosphere and pebble sized fragments would likely fall to the ground at terminal velocity.[10] The power of the airburst would be somewhere between the 2–4 m Sutter's Mill meteorite and the 17 m Chelyabinsk meteor (which was 440 KT equivalent energy).[11] The approach of 2096 is poorly known because it is dependent on the Earth approach/perturbations in September 2095.

Virtual impactors with a 12-year observation arc[4]
Date Impact
probability
(1 in)
JPL Horizons
nominal geocentric
distance (AU)
NEODyS
nominal geocentric
distance (AU)
MPC
nominal geocentric
distance (AU)
Find_Orb
nominal geocentric
distance (AU)
uncertainty
region
(3-sigma)
2095-09-05 23:46 10 0.00035 astronomical unit|AU (52 thousand km) 0.0008 AU (120 thousand km)[12] 0.00066 AU (99 thousand km) 0.00087 AU (130,000 km)[13] ±180 thousand km[14]
2096-09-04 21:50 22000 0.84 AU (126 million km)[15] 0.18 AU (27 million km)[16] 0.36 AU (54 million km) 0.19 AU (28 million km)[17] ±414 million km[15]

On 17 February 2059 the asteroid will pass 3.5 million km from Earth[3] and reach about apparent magnitude 22.6 by late February. On 10 September 1915 it passed 463000±30000 km from Earth.[3]

See also

Notes

  1. Many small and harmless asteroids (less than ~10 meters in diameter) impact Earth every year but very few are discovered and predicted, see Asteroid impact prediction.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "2010 RF12". Minor Planet Center$. 8 September 2010. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2010+RF12. 
  2. "MPEC 2010-R41 : 2010 RF12". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2010-09-05. http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K10/K10R41.html.  (K10R12F)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2010 RF12)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2010RF12&view=OPC. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Earth Impact Risk Summary: 2010 RF12". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/details.html#?des=2010%20RF12. 
  5. "Harvard scientists keep an eye on wayward asteroids". Boston Globe Media Partners. 8 September 2010. http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/09/harvard_scienti_1.html. 
  6. "Second Asteroid to Buzz Earth Later Today". National Geographic. 8 September 2010. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100908-asteroids-earth-nasa-catalina-sky-survey-science-space/. 
  7. "Sentry Risk Table". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/. 
  8. "MPEC 2022-S77 : 2010 RF12". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2022-09-19. https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K22/K22S77.html. Retrieved 2022-09-19. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Horizons Batch for 2095-09-06 00:06 Earth Approach". JPL Horizons. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%272010+RF12%27&START_TIME=%272095-09-06%2000:06%27&STOP_TIME=%272095-09-07%27&STEP_SIZE=%272%20days%27&QUANTITIES=%2720,39%27. Retrieved 2022-12-23.  RNG_3sigma = uncertainty range in km. (JPL#25/Soln.date: 2022-Dec-20 generates RNG_3sigma = 180405 for 2095-Sep-06 00:06.)
  10. How a Near-Earth Object Impact Might Affect Society, 9 January 2003, Clark R. Chapman, SwRI, Boulder CO USA
  11. "Five Years after the Chelyabinsk Meteor: NASA Leads Efforts in Planetary Defense". NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/five-years-after-the-chelyabinsk-meteor-nasa-leads-efforts-in-planetary-defense. 
  12. "2010RF12 Ephemerides for 5−6 September 2095". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). https://newton.spacedys.com//neodys/index.php?pc=1.1.3.1&n=2010RF12&oc=500&y0=2095&m0=9&d0=5&h0=12&mi0=0&y1=2095&m1=9&d1=6&h1=12&mi1=0&ti=1.0&tiu=hours.  (NEODyS Close Approach Table))
  13. "Find_Orb for 2095-09-06". Project Pluto. https://www.projectpluto.com/cgi-bin/fo/fo_serve.cgi?obj_name=2010+RF12&year=2095-09-06&n_steps=1&stepsize=1. Retrieved 2022-07-06. 
  14. "Horizons Batch for 2095-09-05 23:46 Virtual Impactor Time". JPL Horizons. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%272010+RF12%27&START_TIME=%272095-09-05%2023:46%27&STOP_TIME=%272095-09-06%27&STEP_SIZE=%272%20days%27&QUANTITIES=%2720,39%27. Retrieved 2022-06-12.  RNG_3sigma = uncertainty range in km. (JPL#25/Soln.date: 2022-Dec-20 generates RNG_3sigma = 177649 for 2095-Sep-05 23:46.)
  15. 15.0 15.1 "Horizons Batch for 2096-09-04 21:50 Virtual Impactor Time". JPL Horizons. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%272010+RF12%27&START_TIME=%272096-09-04%2021:50%27&STOP_TIME=%272096-09-05%27&STEP_SIZE=%272%20days%27&QUANTITIES=%2720,39%27. Retrieved 2022-07-07. 
  16. "2010RF12 Ephemerides for 4−5 September 2096". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). https://newton.spacedys.com//neodys/index.php?pc=1.1.3.1&n=2010RF12&oc=500&y0=2096&m0=9&d0=4&h0=12&mi0=0&y1=2096&m1=9&d1=5&h1=12&mi1=0&ti=1.0&tiu=hours. 
  17. "Find_Orb for 2096-09-05". Project Pluto. https://www.projectpluto.com/cgi-bin/fo/fo_serve.cgi?obj_name=2010+RF12&year=2096-09-05&n_steps=1&stepsize=1. Retrieved 2022-12-23. 

External links